Games like yesterday make it easier to understand why Arsene Wenger is chasing Andrei Arshavin. When faced with a team who put every man behind the ball and do nothing but defend the more creativity and guile you have the better.
As it was we struggled against a Bolton side whose ambition stretched as far as a point. Gary Megson named just four subs as a message to his chairman that he needed money to buy players. As if the way his team played wasn’t clear enough? Bolton are rubbish, bar Kevin Davies scattergunnning his elbows around the pitch they’re the most forgettable bunch of players you’ll ever see. Ok, once you hear Shittu’s name he’s difficult to forget but you know what I mean.
We dominated possession, I think the post-match stat was something like 71%-29% in our favour, but possession doesn’t win you matches and we hardly peppered the Bolton goal. The only real chance I can remember from the first half was a Robin van Persie effort which looped way over the bar.
There was a bit more urgency to our play in the second half and we did manage to open them up a bit more, but not much. Adebayor had a great chance but delayed his shot which allowed Andy O’Brien to make a good block. Then van Persie made space for himself having controlled a heavy Adebayor flick, he got it onto his right foot but for once it wasn’t quite accurate enough and his shot hit the post with the keeper beaten.
We brought on Nicklas Bendtner who was stuck out on the right hand side, hardly his best position. Still, he might have scored with his first touch, a la Sp*rs, when he headed right at Jaaskelainan. He then found himself on the end of some ‘ironic’ cheers after a successful short pass. A couple of previous efforts had gone astray.
Then Robin van Persie got behind the Bolton defence on our left hand side, whipped in a brilliant cross to the far post and there was Bendtner sliding in to make it 1-0. I was glad for him, I have to say. He hasn’t been good this season, the manager said afterwards that he’s been struggling with an ankle injury, but it must have felt nice to score that after what had gone before.
Now, as much as we can see why we need creativity in the side, and any team would struggle without Walcott, Rosicky and Cesc, the perfect illustration of why this team needs defensive reinforcements came just moments after the goal. Bolton absolutely cut us apart, Kevin Davies only had Manuel Almunia to beat but his effort was tame, to say the least.
You wonder just what it is. Is it something psychological at this stage? Why is that we insist on making life difficult for ourselves? That should have been 1-1. Against better opposition it would have been. So while the manager can certainly justify his interest in Arshavin, moments like that justify fans clamouring for somebody to help shore up the defence.
As I said yesterday the most important thing was the points, then we could look at the performance. We got the points, at least. I know it’s difficult to play against a team so defensive but you have to ask questions of some of players. I lost count of how many times Adebayor came deep, gave the ball wide, then watched as someone like Sagna crossed the ball into the box. He’s 6’4, why isn’t he in there trying to get his head on them?
I worry too about Abou Diaby. Now that he’s got a chance to make his mark in his favourite position he seems to be doing little to convince that he’s got what it takes. He had a poor game yesterday, so much so that he was shifted out to the left hand side and Nasri, who is clearly not a central player in my opinion, took his place in the middle – and was better. After a couple of minutes on the left Diaby was replaced by Vela. Those are the kinds of games he should be using to make a real impact and it seems beyond him, sadly.
Still, we can’t argue with the result, we’ve struggled against teams like this in the past with better players in red and white, and our unbeaten run now stretches to seven league games and we kept what I’m reliably informed was a ‘clean sheet’.
Next up in the league is a trip to Hull to look for revenge for their win at the Grove. Villa won yesterday so remain three points ahead of us. United v Chelsea today should be interesting, we’re level on points with United but they have three games in hand.
Right, rounding up the Sunday news and gossip it seems Manchester City are ‘fuming’ with Arsenal over the whole Kolo Toure thing. They claim City were told to wait 7-10 days after tabling a bid for Kolo but then told Arsenal wouldn’t be selling after Gallas got injured. Such is life.
It seems that they’re so cross with us they’re going to hijack our bid for Andrei Arshavin. Arshavin’s agent says:
There are 10, 15, 20 teams who are interested in him. The question is, can they afford him?
Pfff, it seems fairly obvious that there’s only one team interested in Arshavin at the moment and that’s us. With Zenit playing silly buggers in negotiations I wouldn’t be surprised if this dragged on for the entire duration of the transfer window.
The News of the World links us with Argentine ‘hardman’ Sebastian Battaglia. He plays for Boca Juniors. Beyond that I know nothing.
The Mirror says we’re after Jimmy Bullard (imagine) and a young defender called Jack Collison, who plays for West Ham. The names just keep mounting up.
And that’s about that. Time for some breakfast, the Sunday papers, then some football before a game of 5-a-side later. Till tomorrow.
